Arizer Solo

SF Giant

Reluctant vape collector
vape4life said:
I've got a regular sized mason jar filled with iso. I just throw the stem in there while using the clean stem and then swap them. I figure after some time i'll evaporate and reclaim. Already starting to see sediment on the bottom of the jar.

Earlier I mentioned the other vape that I thought arizer may have copied, it was the minivap. Not sure about copying them, but definitely many similarities. For the price, not sure how it could even compete with the solo.
the solo is really nothing like the minivap.....the NO2 on the other hand....
 
SF Giant,

Stu

Maconheiro
Staff member
charliedontsurf said:
For those who use screens and have tons of honey backing up in their stems, you might want to consider just pulling the screen, inserting the stem into a 14mm GonG female and then gently heating the whole thing with a jet torch - basically turning it into a cheap Eclipse. I find this works really well and is the easiest way I can think of to "reclaim" your oil. The intake is such that hits are dense and rich.
That's pure genius, CDS. You've actually had success with this? Do tell...
 
Stu,
Great success! (Borat voice) :lol:

I have a few tubes with alot of honey built up and recently ran dry. Just plugging them into my vertically oriented bubbler and gently heating it with a torch gave me huge, smooth ropes. Because the Solo stems are so restricted there's a very good "choke" on it for getting dense, satisfying hits - slightly debilitating, even.

This isn't potentially just for reclaiming - you could just drop a dab of good oil into the crevice of the bowl section when its oriented vertically, then heat carefully with a torch. Kind of like making a ghetto eclipse out of a Solo stem.

On another note, I recently ripped the stinky screen out of my old MFLB so that I could return it more safely. The screen, with its superfine mesh size, is perfect for soaking up oil onto - it can then be folded a few times and inserted into the bowl portion of a stem, then inserted into a Solo set at high temperatures. Works great. A frit glass insert for oil or a purpose made, steel-wool type pad like for the Volcano might be better, but this works very nice for now. And because its can be folded as small as need be, it can be used in every single vaporizer I can think of.
 
charliedontsurf,

Stu

Maconheiro
Staff member
You are a fuckin' vaporizer McGyver, my friend. Hats off to ya. I think I'll try some of those tricks myself.

:peace:
 
Stu,

blackbur

Well-Known Member
That's an interesting idea CDS,
I only have one question tho, what kind of glass are the stems made out of?
From one of RockWise's post(page 1) he mentions that some of the glass parts are made in china which leads me to believe its lower quality glass :uhoh:.

It's made with cheaper resources which means it's not made to handle heat stress very well unlike boro glass(glass rods,glass nails,glass screens)

anybody know more details about the glass stems?

Edit- the solo gets up to 410f so you should be good as long as your not making the stem glow..still curious on the type of glass tho.
 
blackbur,
Soloing with the Dead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH92mkiGXLs

So I had a little spare time and decided to make a video.

It shows how the Solo can be used hands free with a silicone sleeve, it showcases the domed screen, what 1 moderate lotus scoop produces at temps 5 and then 7, and also the oil reclaiming technique. You'll also notice that I allow my stem to preheat, so that when the load is inserted there is no lag time required.

This took a few takes to get just right. :D And sorry for the dirty lens.

All music is off the 1967 Grateful Dead Epy album: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grateful_Dead_(album)

Blackbur, I'm pretty rough on the stems. I have four at this point so I wouldn't really care if anything happened to one of them - if they were to die from heat stress it's very unlikely they would shatter dangerously, I think they'd just go "Pop!" and have a crack which would require you to discard it. To be truthful I've actually just carried a naked, unprotected stem in my pocket for what must be over 24 hours continuously if you add it all up, easy. They're cheap and cheesy but I would bet they're made of borosilicate, cheap China glass or not. You can see how I let the weight of the Solo just rest on the stem - this has also happened for what must hours combined now and there is no signs of problems.
 

OhTheAgony

here for the chicks
Cool video CDS! I would've expected a longer heat up time with the torch after reading your explanation first, but it goes quick!

I think I'm gonna buy a torch and try this tonight, lol
Can you still easily clean the stems with ISO afterwards?

What's that round black/red thingie underneath your laptop btw?
 
OhTheAgony,

vape4life

Banned for life
Nice vid CDS! I too thought the heat up time would be longer but holy crap that's quick and effective! Do you just use the sleeve with the solo I assume? Could to stick the solo on there like you're doing the reclaim or is it not stable enough?

How many hits did you get before you cleaned the stem?
 
vape4life,
Agony: 1. Haven't tried cleaning them yet. 2. The glass tubing is fairly thin, so it heats quickly, and also that torch is a beast. Not all torches will go that fast. 3. It's a multi-head screwdriver/flashlight thingy, very handy.

Vape4life: It's actually sitting up there handsfree the whole time, with the solo attached. Maybe I should of hand it angled up higher so you could see it floating, but I wanted the heat level of the Solo visible when it was sitting on the table.

The stem's still pretty oily and I've hit it at least 20 times.
 
charliedontsurf,

blackbur

Well-Known Member
Sweet Vid CDS!
I defiantly see how you were heating it and that doesn't seem harmful to the glass at all.
After checking out VP again, it does state that the glass stems are made with boro.
They sound pretty strong, from your experience.
My bad for being a nitpicker.
I just wouldn't mind if they were a little bit thicker.
 
blackbur,

vape4life

Banned for life
Yeah i'm not sure how it happened but the mouth end of one of my aroma tubes has more than a 1/4" crack going lengthwise. Doesn't affect performance and isn't getting bigger so not too concerned, but they are definitely not "strong".
 
vape4life,

OhTheAgony

here for the chicks
charliedontsurf said:
Agony: 1. Haven't tried cleaning them yet. 2. The glass tubing is fairly thin, so it heats quickly, and also that torch is a beast. Not all torches will go that fast. 3. It's a multi-head screwdriver/flashlight thingy, very handy.

Vape4life: It's actually sitting up there handsfree the whole time, with the solo attached. Maybe I should of hand it angled up higher so you could see it floating, but I wanted the heat level of the Solo visible when it was sitting on the table.

The stem's still pretty oily and I've hit it at least 20 times.


I think I just picked up a similar one, except mine says 'Chefs torch' and is red (they also come in brown and black but they only had red ones left atm). You have to turn a knob to turn it off, right? It took about half my butane can to fill it up, lol

Thanks for the 3. It looked rather interesting already, but now I'm just more curious! :lol:

Anyway, I'm really surprised how this tastes. It's pretty good, especially compared to the gritty wand hash collected from a SSV wand. Thanks for finding this out man, It's kinda fun to claim back the resin this way.

Perhaps it's time to give that vapobowl another chance as well now that I finally have a decent torch.
 
OhTheAgony,

CaptainQ

Active Member
Hey guys sorry to be a pain, has anyone seen the eBay link for the head which fits the Solo? Trying to work a bit of magic :)
 
CaptainQ,

blackbur

Well-Known Member
The Solo is a handheld portable direct draw vaporizer that has properties of passive convection heating.

Pre-Purchase Inspection-Technically i didn't purchase this, i won it in Vapor Nation's Contest. I did do a lot of research on FC and VP(vaporpedia). I discovered that this was a very petite and efficient vaporizer.After getting rid of my MFLB, i longed for a portable to fill its place in convenience and mobility.A device that could supply me with satisfying clouds of vapor.I was a little worried/skeptical because of multiple Solo users complaining about chipping ceramic interior and smell that originated within their units.

Initial thoughts(Unboxing/Before first use)

Package Contents
Arizer Solo Unboxing - YouTube

Solo
Arizer did an amazing job giving birth to this portable powerhouse.

I'm impressed the Solo isn't as large as i thought, it easily rests in the palm of my hand.The unit is 4.5" tall ,roughly as long as my xbox360 controller and is the same matte black.The Solo has a good weight to it, about 181 grams(.4lbs) about the same as a Quarter Pounder from Mcdonalds. Wouldn't be heartbroken if it was knocked over or fell off a table,its very sturdy and solid with no moving parts inside.
Fits in my pocket with ease and because of its low profile its easily concealable,at a glance most would think its a black stud finder if anything.

Glass Accessories(mouthpiece and Aroma top)
Seems to be Boro glass (Borosillicate) It's pretty thin and fragile but its gets the job done withstanding heats from 122F-410F.

Preparation and Operation-
So far I've used two different methods for the Solo, i didn't create them myself so i'm not taking credit.
However i did come up with some names.

*Make sure your unit is fully charged otherwise warm up times may vary depending on Battery strength*

Pre-Heat Method
-Grind your material until its to your preference(coarse)
-Place material in stem until about 1/4 or 1/2 full.
-Practice inhaling through the stem make sure there is some air circulation.
-Power up unit(hold down both UP and DOWN buttons)
-Select #/temp for your session ( Use UP and DOWN Buttons).
-Wait for unit to warm up(1.5 minutes)
-Once the LED next to your # glows solid you can enjoy
-Inhale and stir frequently so more surface area is vaporized

Simmer Method
-Grind your material until its to your preference(coarse)
-Place material in stem until about 1/4 or 1/2 full.
-Practice inhaling through the stem make sure there is some air circulation.
-Place stem inside Solo and Proceed to power up(hold down both UP and DOWN buttons).
-Select #/temp for your session(Use UP and DOWN Buttons).
-Wait for the unit to warm up.(1.5 minutes)
-Once the #/temp's led you selected glows solid you can enjoy.
-Inhale and stir frequently so more surface area is vaporized.

The difference bewteen these two method is that in the "Simmer" your material has a chance to cook a little before your first inhale.This allows for better developed clouds, because more convection takes place.I started doing the "Simmer" out of habit of my Supreme Vaporizer ritual, placing material in and heating it so it cooks a little before sessions.

*If you wish to get more out of your material,stir or grind material again and increase the temp*

Setup and Usage - YouTube

First Impressions(after first successful use)

*Before i used my solo i burned it in, by placing it on its highest temp for about an hour*

I decided to use #2(365F) for my first hit, a decent amount of oils/compounds are vaporized at that temp..where a plethora of effects can be experienced.

After my first successful hit,I immediately started clapping as i exhaled a delicious cloud of vapor. I wasn't expecting anything near what i experienced, maybe a small puff and a wisp of vapor when i exhaled but i inhaled something i thought could only be produced by a whip based vaporizer.Arizer really made something in a league of its own.A portable that can throw punches with the heavy weights(desktop/table top units).


Production Details
The Solo is made in Canada
Some glass parts made in China

Safety and Precautions

The glass stems can get pretty hot when used and can still be pretty hot after your down using, make sure you have a place set aside to rest them safely.


Applications
This Micro heater can be used for various things..

With the aroma top it can be used as a aromatic therapy device, dispensing bountiful fragrances in the immediate area.

With the stems they can be used to vaporize different herbs and concentrates whether it be for relaxtion or medication.

Can be used in collaboration with water filtration devices in order to cool down and moisture vapors for consumption.

Aesthetics and Design

Very sleek and sophisticated.
The silver unit looks like something you would find in a well established chef's chrome filled kitchen, between the toaster and food processor with metallic finishes.
The black unit looks like tool used by either an electrician or contractor,basically looks like a stud finder or a really expensive piece of equipment.Looks at home when placed against router/modem or other computer peripherals.

Design is well through out,its the perfect sized to be operated with one hand.
The curves in the outer casing allows for you to have a grip when handling.
Heating element is ceramic, like a majority of other vaporizers on the market but its powered by a li-ion battery.Similar to a cellphone it needs to be charged via wall outlet for about 4 hours.The Battery and wires/circuits are separate from the air path so it doesn't effect your vapor.

Learning Curve
You have to learn how to hit it. A lot of vaporizers let you just suck vapor through the mouthpiece, in order for the Solo to provide thick well developed clouds you have to sip it.
as if your sipping a milkshake through a straw.

Performance
When charged the Solo performs best, heating up in under 2 minutes and vaporizing material soon after.I tried using the Solo on all 7 settings, i found #3 and #4 to be more desirable than #6 and #7. I prefer light vapor with a lot of flavor and great aroma, the higher numbers vaporize basically everything its harder to decipher what your tasting.Also the higher numbers give very dry and harsh hits, this is where water filtration would shine.
I plan on using the solo at all 7 setting again but with water filtration to see how it compares with using the solo as just a direct draw unit.

Overall Experience
This unit is a paragon for those who desired convenience and mobility, with no sacrifice to taste or vapor spectrum exploration. With separate stems you would be able to have multiple people in on one session. If your limited on glass stems or vaporizer alone most of the time the solo will greatly cater to your cloud needs.It's been great having a chance to use such a good unit.I highly suggest this vaporizer to beginners and experienced vaporists alike.

This is my review of the solo :).
 
blackbur,

vapeinacape

Member
OK guys, I just got my replacement Solo from Arizer.

Looks identical to the one I bought in June.

They said that they had never seen the issue I was having with my old one before, so they are keeping it to diagnose I guess. Sorry, dont have any info for you on how to prevent it from happening to yours.

Did we decide its best to fully charge these before first use? I forget.
 
vapeinacape,

arf777

No longer dogless
charliedontsurf said:
Great success! (Borat voice) :lol:

I have a few tubes with alot of honey built up and recently ran dry. Just plugging them into my vertically oriented bubbler and gently heating it with a torch gave me huge, smooth ropes. Because the Solo stems are so restricted there's a very good "choke" on it for getting dense, satisfying hits - slightly debilitating, even.

This isn't potentially just for reclaiming - you could just drop a dab of good oil into the crevice of the bowl section when its oriented vertically, then heat carefully with a torch. Kind of like making a ghetto eclipse out of a Solo stem.

On another note, I recently ripped the stinky screen out of my old MFLB so that I could return it more safely. The screen, with its superfine mesh size, is perfect for soaking up oil onto - it can then be folded a few times and inserted into the bowl portion of a stem, then inserted into a Solo set at high temperatures. Works great. A frit glass insert for oil or a purpose made, steel-wool type pad like for the Volcano might be better, but this works very nice for now. And because its can be folded as small as need be, it can be used in every single vaporizer I can think of.



Man, this is genius. I haven't bought a Solo yet, am on the verge of pulling the trigger...after reading this post, I grabbed the lower stem from my Vrip heat wand bowl, hit it with my best blowtorch, and DAMN DAMN DAMN! I've collected tons of this stuff from many vapes, chucked even more, knock on wood, due to excellent supply haven't done anything with it. Cannot believe I haven't torched it before, and that I've ever chucked this glorious goo. Was a combuster so long, I kept thinking of it like res - worth saving but only use in an emergency. Boy was I wrong. Thank you for making me try this!

On the Solo - so is the consensus that the flaking isn't a big enough issue to be a deal killer? Or is it worth waiting a bit to be absolutely sure I get one of the newer ones? Have found many vendors with good prices, but no idea if they're new stock or have been sitting around a while. I've never had an Arizer of any kind before, and had not planned to get anything new until the cloud. But I still don't have a portable that performs like this appears to while still being at least somewhat stealthy.
 
arf777,

McNerdius

god of nerds
charliedontsurf said:
Agony: 1. Haven't tried cleaning them yet. 2.

If someone, anyone, knows/comes up with a decent way of cleaning up after something like this, do share ! I'm dry ATM [upcoming drugtest] so will not be able to "dirty" a stem in order to try this myself.

Such hits are some of my favorite things, however, such icky glass is one of my least favorite things... :uhoh:
 
McNerdius,

vapeinacape

Member
first session in progress here....

tubes fit MUCH more snugly now, i can turn the unit upside down without them falling out. slightly harder to pull off of.

kinda a weird taste.... ill chalk that up to it being its first use.
 
vapeinacape,

Vaped Ape

MMJ Therapist specializing in gynecology~wannabe
^^^ glad to see you got a new unit and home it working as good as mine. I notice you said yours was on the snug side and you could turn it over without the stem falling out. Make sure you try the domed screen and if you have the balls to try it. With gloves and safety glasses on, cut with a cut off blade or Dremel, one notch ^ into the lip of the stem on the bowl end. This will better the draw to make up for the tight stem where it comes thru the cap. :tinfoil:

Da Ape

Edit: This ^ will also prevent you head from caving in on hard draws.
 
Vaped Ape,
arf777 said:
On the Solo - so is the consensus that the flaking isn't a big enough issue to be a deal killer? Or is it worth waiting a bit to be absolutely sure I get one of the newer ones? Have found many vendors with good prices, but no idea if they're new stock or have been sitting around a while. I've never had an Arizer of any kind before, and had not planned to get anything new until the cloud. But I still don't have a portable that performs like this appears to while still being at least somewhat stealthy.

Wait for a new one. The ceramic flaking is something you shouldn't have to deal with. I feel unsafe saving my ABV from the Solo because of it - I just run the thing at a high temp at the end and consider the bowl cashed. I certainly wouldn't feel safe eating it, that's for sure. The Solo does deserve mucho credit concerning much of its design, particularly its super low learning curve and big clouds, and you'd probably be well served to get a new steel-bowl model when they come out. I just wish they would upgrade the battery, solve the taste issue some (ME) are having, and improve other aspects of the vape while they were at it.

Mcnerdius, a homebrew-style bottle brush would almost certainly be able to bring it back to almost-new.
 
charliedontsurf,

aesthyrian

Blaaaaah
CaptainQ said:
Hey guys sorry to be a pain, has anyone seen the eBay link for the head which fits the Solo? Trying to work a bit of magic :)

Do you mean the tip size for the plug that charges the solo? If so, I believe the size you need for it to fit the solo is 4.0mm x 1.7mm but I cannot confirm this until my package comes in the mail.
 
aesthyrian,

dorkus_molorkus

Well-Known Member
I cleaned a stem for the 1st time 2days ago (couldnt stand looking at the dirty looking fucking crackpipe thingys anymore). I soaked it in ISO for 2 days then when all the crap still wouldnt come out past the bend in the stem. I then had to turn the tap on in the bathroom, and put my finger to really force the H2o out like a water pick.

then aimed the mucho strong fine jet of water at the bowl & forced thru the 2 tiny holes, literally 90 secs of that and the stem is 99% crystal clear & clean.

Currently, IMO my solo is hitting hard as can be. I have an ashcatcher on my bong which I use as a visual aid on how much vapor I am inhaling. If I preheat my herbs long enough i can pull the densest thickest clouds I have seen from any vape I own or in ANY other vids I have seen as well. Its so thick sometimes I cant see the internals of the ashcatcher at all, and massive hits as well.

Now I know thats something many of you do not strive for, but for a cloud chasing mofo like me, its nirvana.

and it gets me supa blazed to boot :D
 
dorkus_molorkus,

smokum

I am who I am and your approval isn't needed!
If you use 99% ISO and let the stem soak an hour or two, you can use a small flex handled arts brush or a test tube cleaner brush (nylon) and give it a couple swirls, then rinse it again in the ISO.

I've been doing this in a 500 mil mason jar of ISO repetitively and keeping the jar sealed to use for the next time I want to run a qwiso batch (the same as I have done with cleaning reclaim from pipes, bongs, and vape parts).
 
smokum,

Stu

Maconheiro
Staff member
I'm a neat freak with my stems. I soak them constantly in iso 91. I've never thought of letting mine build up with a layer of golden goo until I read what CDS is doing with his.

I met up with a buddy of mine who bought a solo on my recommendation. He brought it out for a session and I couldn't believe how filthy it was! I was so shocked that I took a picture on my iphone. Here it is.

dirtysolostem.jpg


Do you guys let your stems get this bad? Or is my buddy the biggest slob in the world?
 
Stu,
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